1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to eyewear having a pair of interchangeable lenses.
2. Description of the Art
Eyewear, such as sunglasses or spectacles, are worn during a wide variety of activities and must be capable of meeting a wide variety of consumer demands. Recently, sunglasses have been developed having interchangeable lenses or lens assemblies permitting simple replacement of the lenses. Generally these lenses are unitary lenses and are made from a plastic material such as polycarbonate. For those engaged in active sports, the lenses are replaced at the wearer's option depending on the lighting conditions. For example, a dark lens or reflective lens may be useful for bright sunlight while a yellow or amber lens may be used for early morning or late evening activities, such as jogging.
Further, lens replacement may be desirable for changing various vision correction lenses to modify the lenses for indoor or outdoor use. For example, one set of lenses could be prescription sunglass lenses for outdoor use while the replacement lenses could be clear prescription lenses for indoor use. The idea of eyewear with interchangeable lenses may also be appealing to some far-sighted persons who may object to bifocals and would prefer to change the lens in the frame for near or far vision applications. In this embodiment, one set of prescription lenses would be for reading while the replacement set of lenses would be used for driving.
Finally, with eyewear being made in a wide variety of colors, designs and shapes, the lenses and/or frames can be modified by those interested solely in style. One set of lenses may be placed in a variety of frames to provide color coordination with the wearer's attire.
While eyewear with replaceable lenses has been known for many years, recent commercial interest has been directed to unitary or single-paned lenses of the wrap-around variety. Eyewear having a pair of interchangeable lenses have also been known for many years but has met with limited commercial success. Many of the prior dual lens systems have had significant short comings in that they are generally of complex mechanical structure making them expensive to manufacture and/or difficult to use. For example, many of these designs have required the use and removal of fasteners which may require tools. Other prior systems require substantial deformation of the lens or frame making insertion and removal difficult. Further, these prior systems are often too fragile for use in active sports activities such as skiing or volleyball with a tendency for easy lens loss.
Thus, the present invention is directed to eyewear having a pair of interchangeable lenses which are inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and sturdy enough for use in active sports activities.